After Jermain Defoe had struck the woodwork the Greeks drew level via Zeca's header nine minutes after the interval.

Spurs, missing Welsh wizard Gareth Bale, hit back hard, bagging a 75th minute second when Dempsey's header off Kyle Walker's free kick hit the crossbar and bounced in off Karnezis's back for an own goal, before in-form Defoe rounded off their night in style.

That left Spurs securing the runners-up spot in Group J behind Lazio, 4-1 winners at Slovenian side Maribor.

"We knew at 1-0 it wasn't enough. We played really well, had lots of opportunities. In the end there was a little anxiety but we managed to get a result that was fair," Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas told ITV.

Newcastle travelled to Bordeaux with qualification already in the bag but Alan Pardew's men missed out on denying the French side top spot in Group D after a 2-0 defeat.

Elsewhere Czech side Viktoria Plzen beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 to deny the defending champions top spot in Group B.

The Group G Sporting Lisbon-Videoton game was held over until Friday due to a waterlogged pitch but the result is academic with Basel sealing the runners-up spot after a 0-0 draw with group leaders Genk.

The top two teams from each of the 12 first round groups are joined by the eight sides dropping down from the Champions League, featuring for the first time ever the defending European champions in Chelsea.

The Blues' presence adds spice to a competition which UEFA is considering scrapping in favour of an extension to the Champions League format later this decade.

The two-legged last 32 round gets underway in mid-February with the draw held later this month.